All The Small Things
by aviating-elephants
Summary: A collection of all the prompted drabbles I've written. Will include Mako/Korra, Bolin/Korra, Asami/Mako, but mainly Bolin/Korra. Rated M for various pieces of work.
1. Last

_author's note: EMOTIONS FOR Y'ALL._

* * *

She's not sure how it happens. The action is so fast, her opponents too agile, and her reaction time has been slowed by the ache of exhaustion her Avatar state had brought on. Amon is able to overpower her with little effort, and she drops to her knees, beaten, bruised, and sobbing.

Mako is slumped against a wall across the room, breathing heavily. His jaw drips with blood, and Korra distantly watches the liquid trail down his neck and mix with his precious crimson scarf. His face is also tear stained, but his injuries are minimal.

No, he's been crying for Bolin, who is thrown next to him in a heap. Korra realizes, with a strangled sob, that his chest isn't rising.

"Maybe now," Amon hisses, clenching his teeth behind the mask on his face, and digging a heel into Korra's injured torso, "maybe now there will be equality."

Instead of finishing her off then and there, he waves a gloved hand to a chi-blocker. The masked figured squats over her. Then, a flash of pain, physically binding her body onto itself as horrible waves of dizziness wash over her.

She looks down, tries to imagine away the throwing knife lodged in her abdomen, but blacks out instead.

When she comes to, her lap is propped on something solid that isn't the floor. It's difficult to open her eyes, thanks to the matted blood in her eyelashes from her head wound. Mako's black and blue, swollen face hangs above her, worried and dusted with ash, dirt, and blood.

Korra wonders how much of it is his.

"Oh, spirits. Thank you, thank you," he mutters, wraps his arms around her shoulders and torso, bringing her closer. Korra groans as her stomach shifts, and the knife twists along with it. Mako apologizes, tears his scarf from his neck, and grips the handle of the knife with his good hand – the one that hasn't been burned beyond use.

Korra watches with wavering vision as he pulls the weapon away with a wet sound, but she can't feel the pain anymore, and she's glad for it. But she also knows it's a sign that everything is ending.

She smiles up at Mako, who just runs a hand along her cheek and lifts her hips up to tie his scarf around her open, bleeding gash. She starts to slip her eyes closed, content with the situation even after failing Republic City, her friends, and benders everywhere.

"No. No you don't, stop it. Open your eyes, dammit," Mako's voice cuts off by a hand squeezing his, the one pressed over Korra's stomach. She flicks her eyelids open just to please him. The happy expression isn't yet gone from her face, but he still feels tears begin to run tracks down his face, clearing away soot and grime as they go.

"We fought hard," she says, and he nods, nods yes, nods because he wants her to be happy in these last moments.

"We did really well. We did our best. Bolin did his best," she says, and Mako drops his forehead to hers, smearing caked blood together, and sobbing against her neck.

"We didn't do well _enough_, Korra," he admits. She shakes her head, and reaches up a hand slowly to pat his back, but soon her strength gives out and the weight of her arm sits there, reminding him of their failure. He suddenly knows that he'll feel that ghostly weight on him for years to come.

She shudders, and a long breath escapes her. He thinks it may be her last, so he cries harder, too hard for a boy his age. _Bolin_ didn't cry – but then again he didn't have _time_ to cry before the blast of rock hit his head.

"I'm scared," she finally says, "what happens now?" Mako lifts his head to see her eyes shimmering emptily, filled to the brim with tears.

"Nothing happens now Korra. Nothing." he whispers, bends his neck to kiss her.

It's their second and last kiss.


	2. Burnt

Bolin stares down at the charred remains of what _might_ have once been a fish. He sighs, flops his head into his palm, and dramatically groans. Korra peeks out from the Air Temple's kitchen, into Tenzin's dining room, and narrows her eyes.

"Eat it."

"N_oooo_. It looks yucky," he whines, pushing the pristine white china bowl away from himself with an immature huff. He can't even pick at the (slightly burnt) rice underneath the unappetizing main dish. Clutching the wool blanket tighter around his shivering form, Bolin curses the mild pounding against his skull, his high fever, and the inability to speak without sounding like the stuffy aristocrats in Republic City.

Korra comes shuffling back from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her water tribe pants before returning them to a familiar position on her hips.

"Bolin. You need to eat _something_," she demands, marching towards him and picking the bowl up from the table. Her friend replies by flopping backward onto the floor, curling into a fetal position. He shakes his head against the mat on the ground.

Korra blows a strand of hair from her face. "Why?" she asks, swings her hips around, and heads back into the kitchen for bland crackers.

Bolin lifts his head.

"Because I'm afraid your cooking will make me sick_er _than this flu," he mutters childishly.

Korra's head pops out of the doorframe again, eyes flaring dangerously.

"What was that?"

"Er-I…Nothing, Korra. Nothing."


	3. Comfort

No matter how hard he pushes himself in training, no matter how exhausted he feels after a long day, Bolin doesn't get any sleep. Most nights, he stays awake, staring at the dark, flitting shadows on his ceiling, and fearing the ones that move too quickly.

The earthbender's experience against Amon, to say the least, has scarred him. The dark circles under his eyes are evidence enough that the Equalists have awakened a new kind of fear in him – one that _literally_ messes with his life.

He just hasn't been feeling himself lately, and he hates it. Living in fear, especially living in fear of seemingly _nothing_ makes him angry. He's supposed to remain strong and courageous, supposed to mimic Mako's brave, stoic behavior.

Instead, Bolin is flopped lazily on a couch in the arena's attic, wrapped in the tight, comforting embrace of a heavy wool blanket. It's pulled up over his ears and shoulders, around his neck and the top of his head – not an inch of skin is showing, and he even has his knees pulled up to his stomach to keep them from hanging off the edge of the couch.

He does this most nights, spends his "bedtime" hours staring out the large window in the attic, watching spotlights flash and satomobiles zoom down the crowded, nightlife streets of Republic City.

It would be a lovely experience, watching the golds, greens, and browns of the city fade into midnight colors, but he can't focus on the beauty outside his window.

Bolin's too busy looking over his shoulder, shifting his weight, trying not to jump at every creak that floats from the attic's walls. He can hear the dull roar of people in the arena below, but it does little to calm him. His eyes, as usual, are opened and wide with terror – he's too afraid to close them.

What if Amon appears, threatens to take his bending away again? Bolin can already picture the tall, masked intimidating figure gliding towards him, hand outstretched, ready to press his palm against Bolin's forehead and take everything he is – his bending.

What if the reason that the attic is so quiet…what if he's already got Mako and Korra? Are they tied up, ready to be ransomed?

_Are they dead?_

Bolin shoots up from the couch, wrapping his blanket around his torso like a cape, and runs towards Mako's room. He almost has a heart attack at the sight of his brother's empty bed, but then remembers Mako is out on a date with Asami, and he has nothing to worry about.

Slightly more at ease, Bolin trudges with heavy, tired steps towards the guest room they've let Korra borrow. When the Avatar isn't training with Master Tenzin at the temple, or on some sort of diplomatic adventure for the city council, she crashes at the arena.

Bolin slides the door to her room open, peeks his nose in to make sure she's safe in her bed.

Sure enough, Korra is curled up on the bed, arms wrapped around her knees, breathing regularly with a slight, adorable snore every few seconds. Bolin lets out a relieved sigh and tiptoes across the room.

She looks a bit chilly, curled in on herself, so Bolin takes the blanket from his shoulders and throws it over her sleeping form. To his surprise, she looks over her shoulder at him, and he's struck by how _blue_ her pretty, cyan eyes are, even in the dark, dusky night air. They're opened with worry and fear, but immediately glaze over with relief when he's recognized.

Bolin notices - and not for the first time - that Korra's steady cerulean gaze does strange things to his stomach.

"Sorry, Korra, just wanted to…" he scratches the back of his head, shrugs his shoulders, and begins to step backward awkwardly. "I couldn't sleep so-"

"Nah, it's okay Bo," she whispers, sitting up against the sheets and rolling a fold of his blanket between her fingers. Bolin sits on the edge of the bed, because it seems like she has something more to say; he smiles a bit, because when _doesn't_ Korra have something more to say?

"I haven't been sleeping well either," she admits, and Bolin doesn't need to hear any further explanation. He _knows_ she can't sleep because of Amon. To his surprise, she blinks continuously, and the earthbender, with all of his girl experience, recognizes it as a sign that she's about to cry.

"Hey, stop it," he says, trying to comfort her. He yawns and then pulls his friend closer, wrapping one arm around her waist. Korra immediately drops her head against his arm in exhaustion.

"But what if-" she begins, but he interrupts her by flinging himself backward, taking the Avatar with him. Korra struggles for a moment, laughing and punching his arms playfully.

"Any chi-blockers try and get at you, they'll have to deal with me first," he announces, cheekily chilavrous and with a simple, teasing smirk on his face.

Korra goes quiet after a moment and Bolin's about to speak up again when he realizes that the steady rise and fall of her shoulders means she's fallen asleep.

So Bolin finally allows himself to close his eyes, insanely proud of the fact that he's got _the Avatar_ pulled against his chest. There's a surreal, comforting wave that ebbs over him as the world fades to black, and he looks down at the top of Korra's head, her eyes shut, mouth slightly agape, and most of his worries about the Equalists fade.

It's the first real _satisfying_ rest that either of them has had in a long time, so when Korra wakes up, she doesn't immediately disentangle herself. Instead, she squirms closer to Bolin, ignoring the heavily crushing grip he's got around her waist, and buries her face in her friend's shoulder with a content smile.

She'll come to classify moments like this as purely comforting.


	4. Forget

Korra feels a little bit guilty hanging out with Bolin so often. She knows her free time is spent with the earthbender because she's too much of a coward to even be in the same room as Mako and Asami, and it makes her unhappy. Bolin is a brilliantly hilarious, kind and handsome guy, and she wishes that she was crushing on _him _rather than Mako.

After all, Bolin isn't the one missing practice or ignoring her lately.

Korra's eyes narrow with a sudden pang of resentment, and she looks down at the concrete sidewalk, watching her boots pace against the lines in the cement.

"And then I sa- Korra? What's wrong?" Bolin stops, takes her elbow, and tilts his head at her, grinning with a hint of worry. She can't help but cheer up at his silly sweet expression, and laughs to appease him.

"Nothing, Bo, sorry. Just thinking," she lies, and his grin widens cheekily.

"Is it making your head hurt?" he sympathizes sarcastically, and Korra lands him a playful punch in the arm as they stroll. A satomobile zooms by as the turn the corner, and she's reminded – painfully - of Asami for a brief moment.

"Shut _up,_" she finally laughs, and Bolin chuckles alongside her, slipping his arm around his shoulders and bringing her closer. Korra tries to make herself feel breathless, tries to bring up _some_ kind of feeling, tries to enjoy his carefree, loyal nature in a romantic way, but she can't. It makes her frown.

Bolin catches the twitch of her lips, and squeezes her shoulder.

"Where should we go for lunch? You're the Avatar, you pick."

Before she can answer her teammate, they're suddenly stopped in front of Fire Lord Zuko's statue when a small kid runs up to Bolin and clutches his hand.

"Bolin!" he screeches, throwing his arms around the older boy's legs and hugging him tightly. Korra recognizes the street urchin as the one who conned Mako out of money when Bolin was kidnapped. She crosses her arms and appraises the little kid with suspicious resentment. But…he's acting much differently around Bolin than Mako.

"Hey there Skoochy!" he exclaims, grabs the boy by the armpits and swings him up to sit on his shoulders. Skoochy drops his chin onto the top of Bolin's head, resting there for a second. He looks up at Korra.

"You're the lady that was with Mako. You saved Bolin!" he says, and Korra pretends like she doesn't see the flash of pain written across Bolin's face before he masks it by spinning the kid in a circle. He squeals, pulling Bolin's hair for balance.

"Hey, Skoochy, wanna come get some lunch?" Bolin asks him, and Korra notes how immediately the kid's face lights up. It drops just as quickly, and he shakes his chin against the earthbender's hair.

"Can't, we got no money this week," he says, and Korra's heart drops. Skoochy is just a little kid, and even though he was a little _jerk_ the last time she saw him, this change in character, this change in _emotion_ is just too much. She feels so terrible; Korra reaches up and pats his arm, trying to console him.

Bolin fidgets and throws the Avatar a glance she can't decode, and then swings Skoochy around, dropping him to the ground with a grin. The earthbender reaches into his pockets, and Korra watches as he hands Skoochy a few yuan.

Bolin leads the kid over to his friends, hands each dirty, homeless child money, and then is promptly piled on by ecstatic, happy faces. Her teammate eventually wrestles them off, bringing up his fists in a playful threat. They screech at him, hug his knees a few more times, and then disappear around the corner.

She watches his face as Skoochy runs away, bouncing around with the other kids, grinning as the black-haired boy turns and waves one last time at Bolin before disappearing as well.

They all look scraggly and hungry, and she figures the yuan will keep them full for days. _Bolin's_ yuan will feed them for day.

Korra's gaze shifts back to him, standing a few feet away, hands on his waist, watching the kids hop away towards a lunch stall, a bemused, happy expression written across his face.

Korra can't help but smile, and it's the first time in weeks she feels genuinely happy. Bolin turns around to look at her, and her stomach does something strange, something that only happens when Mako is around_. _It flips, does an excitedly nervous dance, like it's twisting to swing music only her body is tuned to. Her cheeks suddenly turn pink when their eyes meet_. _

"Sorry, Korra. I-er, we can go out to eat tomorrow or something."

_Since when did his eyes get so…green? Why haven't I noticed before?_

Bolin struts towards her, a little confused but still grinning, and when he opens his arms in a questioningly welcoming gesture, she just shrugs and slips her hand into his.

He looks a little surprised, but there's a look of relief, of happiness, of such handsome glee that she feels herself stand on her tiptoes and kisses him on the cheek.

She forgets Amon's campaign of terror, her owns fears; she can't remember Mako's genuine smile at the gala, can't see Asami's pretty face in her head, and her own jealousy dissipates when his eyebrows rise in astounding delight.

He was right in front of her the whole time.


	5. Painful

Bolin doesn't like to brag, but he thinks he's pretty awesome for bringing Korra out of the depressing fissure in her life that she'd fallen into in the past few weeks. His heart had practically broken in half when he'd caught her sobbing, most likely from her abduction by Amon. He wasn't sure exactly _when_ he'd fallen in love with her – with the _Avatar_, he sometimes has to remind himself – but he doesn't really care.

He really only wants her to be happy. If there's one person in the entire city that deserves to be happy, it's her.

So he takes care of her in the only ways he knows. He tries to make her laugh, keeps her on her toes during practice, reminds her how amazing and beautiful she is (maybe not in those words), and tries to convince her that fear is just another part of life - it's not weak to fear.

But even Bolin fears things.

And when Asami dumps Mako, he fears he'll lose Korra – _knows_ he'll lose her.

It's not a huge secret, and Korra isn't too vague or careful with her emotions. She's never been the type of girl to sit around and do nothing while the object of her affections pines away after another, and it's something that Bolin likes about her. She's headstrong, willful, and so incredibly _amazing_.

Why wouldn't any other guys be interested in her?

Bolin figures he shouldn't be surprised when he catches his older brother and the girl of his dreams locked in a world of their own after practice one day. He stares for just a little too long, noting the way that Korra melds herself against Mako, and he quickly becomes entranced with the way her eyes flick behind the lids.

He wishes her fingers were tangled into _his_ hair, or it was _his_ hand cupping her dark jaw.

She must notice his presence, because the two suddenly wrench themselves away from each other. Bolin blinks at the movement, eyes still locked on Korra – or, more specifically, her slightly swollen lips and tousled, chocolate hair.

It hurts.

That's the first thing he realizes. It _hurts. _More than the time he was knocked from the arena and broke his leg on the side of the platform, more than the time he took a flying disc to the side of his helmet. His ears had been ringing for days afterward, and his vision blurry for hours after the match.

Now, Bolin feels sick to his stomach. His stomach churns, and the butterflies that once fluttered there are now turned to ash at the _look_ Mako gives Korra before turning to his younger brother.

"Er, Bo, um, it's…not wh-" he begins, but Bolin forces himself to grin, and cuts off his brother with a wave of his hand. His arms feel suddenly heavy, and he just wants to sit down, maybe even to lie down. He doesn't feel well, and there's something funny going on with his chest.

"_Spirits._Finally!" he announces, quirking an eyebrow suggestively at his brother before marching towards the door with a dramatic salute. "I'll leave you crazy kids alone," he cheeks, trying his best to keep the sullen expression from his face.

If this is what Korra needs to be happy, then who is he to stop her?

Bolin pauses at the doorway just long enough to watch the flaming, embarrassed pink sweep up the sides of Korra's pretty face. He twists himself around, forces his feet to take steps towards the arena's exit. Only when he's walking down the dimly lit sidewalk does he let a few bitter tears this

He doesn't really feel like crying.


	6. Smile

She shows up at all of their games. Always sitting on the bleachers during training and watching Mako firebend, watching him move with ferocity – something that Korra has often been guilty of.

The Avatar is conflicted and confused. She doesn't _want_ the other girl there, doesn't want Mako showing off to make her squeal and laugh with such ecstatic delight_, _but there's absolutely no way she can dislike Asami. She's too kind, too pretty, too feminine – too perfect, at least according to Mako.

Still, she resents the beautiful heiress… to an extent. Korra can't recall a time when a boy looked at her so thoughtfully, with such love; though she can remember _every single time_ Mako has smiled at her.

Asami probably doesn't do that.

Mako grins at her too often for her to remember all of those precious moments.


	7. Tumble

Tenzin insists she dresses up for the council meeting, telling her that she will appear well-spoken and respectable. Korra says that it shouldn't matter what she looks like, as long as she can carry her weight in an argument, and he has no response to that.

Later that evening, she stumbles into the gym with slightly watery eyes, wobbling on unsteady feet. Bolin is in the corner of the room, throwing heavy, experienced blows at a punching bag.

He stops his exercise to wave to her as she enters the training room, but the bright smile disappears from his face as soon as he notes her expression. Korra plops down on a bench and waves half heartedly at him, kicking her feet up unceremoniously and attempting to free her tired feet from the bindings of the heels she wears.

"What's wrong?" he asks, unwrapping boxing tape from his knuckles as he approaches. Korra shrugs, blows a wisp of hair from her eyes, and tries not to take her embarrassment and anger out on her teammate.

"Made a complete _fool _of myself in front of Tenzin and the council," she explains. Bolin raises his eyebrows with a hint of concern, and sits down next to her, bent over with his elbows on his knees.

The earthbender reaches a hand back over her shoulder, patting her briskly before realizing he hasn't yet showered, and doesn't want to mess up her dress.

"What happened?"

"Not much, actually," she sighs, waving her hand and pouting. "I can't walk in these things at _all_, so I ended up falling on my face in front of Chief Beifong _and_ Tenzin _and _Tarrlok."

Bolin's not too sure how to react to this piece of information, but he does know how to make a girl feel better about herself. Korra doesn't even flinch as her friend throws a heavy, muscle arm around her shoulders, and even scoots closer to get more of his calming, refreshing presence.

"Well, at least you fell on your ass looking _fabulous_," he sasses, and Korra laughs at his tone of voice lifting with femininity on the last word.

She's lost in a gale of laughter, forgetting the night's mistakes and problems at what he says next.

"I couldn't pull off those heels."


	8. Unfair

"This was a date?"

Korra blinks in surprise, wondering if she's misheard the dark-haired boy seated across from her. He looks stoic, an unreadable expression on his face, and suddenly she's void of confidence – something that's as frightening to her as losing her bending.

She fiddles with the edge of her blue dress, something she picked out especially for the occasion, and wrinkles her nose awkwardly. Her eyes prickle, and she's dangerously close to...what, crying?

"Er, yeah," she says, looking back up at him, hoping for a smile to indicate he's joking around with her. "I mean….I just _assumed_…we went to the theater… and now out to a fancy restaurant?"

She trails off rather timidly, unable to continue without showing her disappointment. The boy winces, and wipes his mouth with a napkin briskly.

Her stomach does flips from looking at his handsome face. She _hates_ that; even in the process of being rejected, she can't help but admire him, to have these strange, judgment-blurring feelings play with her head.

It's not fair.


	9. Tact

Bolin knows a lot about romance. If there was such a thing as flirtbending, he'd be a master – he'd be _the _master. He knows he's charming, romantic, and girls have always naturally flocked to him. He's used to being fawned after and admired, and while it certainly hasn't done a thing for his ego, it's certainly helped his self esteem.

He had struggled a lot with his confidence as a kid - especially with tall, lean Mako for a brother. Bolin had always been the short, stocky kid, a little on the chubby side despite being homeless and constantly hungry.

Becoming a pro-bender, forming the Fire Ferrets with his brother, and gaining so many fans has certainly done a number on his opinion of himself. He's truly, honestly grateful for each and every one of the girls that flirts with him, that ask for his autograph…and even more thankful for the ones that spontaneously shriek and kiss him.

He knows how to pick up girls, how to flirt, how to be charming and funny, how to get their attention, and how to treat them on dates. He's pretty good at kissing, and has been with plenty of them to know respect and manners. Bolin figures he's a pretty desirable guy, and has never (in all honesty) met a woman who didn't take a liking to him.

Korra is the exception.

Bolin's able to bring up the memory of their first meeting with extreme clarity, and it always makes him smile. His heart had skipped at the sight of her, even before she had revealed she was the _Avatar_. And, maybe, the butterflies had tossed themselves in his stomach just a bit more violently when he found out she was.

Korra was the one that changed everything for him. He didn't feel like dating hoards of faceless fans, hadn't given other girls a second glance. He had never been nervous around girls before, but quickly learned that the heavy-heart, his blushing face, and sudden stuttering that occurred around the strong-illed and tenacious Avatar was a sign that he was truly, absolutely _twitterpated_.

He tries _everything _to get the attention of the dusky-skinned, inky haired, curvaceous girl.

He sends her flowers, gives her shiny trinkets and gifts, and orders dainty sweets from the local bakery – anything that would get a normal girl's attention. But he soon realizes that Korra _isn't_ a normal girl when it comes to dating, and is pretty air_headed_ despite having not mastered air_bending_.

She practically inhales the chocolates, feeds the flowers to the turtleducks at the park, and lets Jinora keep most of the sparkly, shiny jewelry. Even Bolin's meaningful touches and obviously flirtatious comments during training go unnoticed.

"Give her time," his brother says, "Asami didn't go for me right away."

Bolin refuses to burst Mako's bubble by reminding him that his girlfriend _ran him over with a moped._

Months pass after his initial meeting with Korra, and he begins to notice the change in her personality immediately. She is distant, worried, and constantly looking over her shoulder. He tries to comfort her, but she either wants it or isn't easily directed from the path of apprehension, so he gives up eventually. Training goes well; they're functioning awesomely as a team, and suddenly their worry over the championship disappears.

Suddenly, Bolin is in the arena, light on his feet, leaping away from flames, water, and discs of earth as he gives it is _all_. He wants to impress Korra, wants to impress _the Avatar._

He sends the other team's waterbender flying over the stage, and the crowd screams, leaps to their feet, and the roars of congratulations and incoherent praise echo in his head. He's numb, but lucid enough to realize they've _won._

_They've won._

He twists around to see Korra and Mako high-fiving, both of their faces bright and cheerful. Korra turns to look at him, her face lighting up more, if it was even possible. Time slows down as she launches herself towards him, and he almost stumbles when the Avatar throws her strong arms around his neck and squeezes.

A _woosh_ of air brings the hearing back to his ears, and he realizes she's shouting over the din of the arena.

"Bolin! Bolin! We did it! That was amazing! You were _awesome! _How did you – oh _spirits_, we won!"

Bolin stares at her when she lifts her dark head, gives him another huge grin. Over Korra's shoulder, Mako is taking off his helmet, and giving his little brother a significant look.

The earthbender looks back down to the girl attached to his neck, takes her jaw in his hands, and confidently lowers his lips to Korra's mouth. And now, _holy shit, _he's kissing the Avatar, kissing _Korra_ in front of thousands of people.

Bolin grins against her lips, suddenly swings his arms up, pulls her against him, and dances across the platform merrily.

Screw subtlety. Screw tact.


	10. Layers

Korra is not used to the heat. The week has been annoyingly steamy and warm, and she's shed most of her fur layers in an effort to cool herself down. The humidity, however, refuses to relent.

To keep herself sane, she spends the sweltering afternoons with Bolin and Mako, practicing her bending, keeping herself in top condition even in the dismal weather. She's not used to the heat, and usually keeps herself cool by lazily bending water and letting it drop onto her skin in a lazy splash.

This week, though, her friends are busy, and she's not too keen on going to the Air Temple during the day – hot weather and freedom make Tenzin's kids go crazy.

Mako has been busy with Asami and approaching important figures in the community to get the Fire Ferrets a head start in fundraising and sponsorships, while Bolin has been out doing…whatever he does during the week.

On this particular day, Korra lies on the floor next to Pabu, whose tiny chest is rising and falling with dangerous heaviness. She gives him a quick scratch on the head, sorry that he has to deal with the weather in a fur coat. Suddenly, his ears prick up, and he springs from his reclining position into a run, scampering down the wooden spiral steps towards the gym.

Korra runs after the ferret, worried that something might have spooked him, only to smack into Bolin as he enters the attic. Their foreheads knock together painfully, and they both lose their balance, flopping backward from the velocity of their impact.

"Ow! Korra! Are you okay?" Bolin asks, rubbing the already bruising knot on his forehead with a childish whine. She reaches over, shoves his shoulder, and then throws her weight forward to jump to her feet.

"Shut up. Too hot for talking." she mutters, and crosses the room to open the two large windows in the attic, one of which leads to the tower on top of the arena. She steps onto the balcony, enjoying the high breeze that whips around her, tossing her hair about and pulling on the edge of her thin cotton shirt.

Korra feels Bolin appear at her side, and throws him a side-ways glance. Disregaring her previous threat, she asks, "Where were you this week?"

Bolin raises an eyebrow, smiling at her with that familiar, whimsical smile. "Is this an interrogation?" he asks, clearly joking with her. "Because I'd rather be grilled by Chief Beifong."

Korra laughs a little bit, and leans her elbows against the rail surrounding the balcony. "Hilarious, Bo." she snickers.

"But seriously. You've, you know…haven't been as Bolin-y…"

Bolin quirks his again, glancing down at his waterbending friend with a light, questioning grin.

"You've been…happy, right? I mean, with everything going on. I never asked you if you were doing okay after that whole Amon thing."

After a few seconds of silence, she begins to feel uneasy. When she glances up at Bolin, he suddenly takes her by the shoulders with both hands, tugs her closer, and…

_This is strange,_ she thinks, followed shortly by, _Yeah, whatever, you're enjoying it._

He pulls away from the kiss a few seconds later, but it's long enough to leave her breathless. It's a weird feeling, for someone as strong and willful as herself to be emotionally overpowered.

Bolin's hands remain on her arms for support when she takes a careful step towards him, then drop to his sides uselessly after a moment.

"Sorry. Must be suffering from heat stroke or something."

Bolin grins at her; it's a cheeky, testing smirk that makes her heart rate bounce around. It's a challenge, and she can't resist. Maybe it's because it's Bolin, and this is so unexpectedly welcome, or maybe it's that infectious smile that she's never quite been able to get out of her mind.

Instead of berating him, or running away in confusion, the Avatar reaches around her friend's neck, dragging his face down for another kiss.

Eventually they pull away, but only because their close proximity and the weather adds to the sweltering temperature in the room.

"Oops, my bad. Heat stroke must be contagious."


	11. Words

Mako taught him how to read very simple words by sounding them out, but Bolin can't do that right now. For one thing, the Avatar, in all her awesome, powerful, _beautiful_ glory, will hear him. He doesn't think she'll make fun of it, his inability to read, but it would still be embarrassing.

And he needs to prove himself to Korra. She's so strong and independent, and he's just so lucky that she finally _looked_ at him, the way that she used to look at Mako. Even remembering that period, where the girl of his dreams had been crushing on his older brother, brought a few painful stings to his chest.

He tries not to let it bother him, because he's here with the watertribe girl, not Mako. He's here, _Bolin, _standing in front of a restaurant, holding hands with _the Avatar._ With Korra.

He's pretty glad that she chose a nice, simple place. Korra is an elegant person, in her own way, but neither of them have ever been extravagant people; not like Mako and Asami. Their dates consist of training, or sitting in the attic, or talking, or taking walks, and sometimes all of those things in one glorious day.

However, Korra has been thrown off a bit by the public's opinion of her. There are a lot of rumors going around about her, and she convinces him to go out for once, to enjoy the "normal couple relationship thing", as she calls it so bluntly.

Bolin doesn't like the fact that their relationship isn't classified as normal, but then again, it's the truth. He's a pro-bender, she's the _Avatar_, so he doubts anything they do will ever be considered normal. He's okay with it, to be honest.

What he's not okay with is Korra being so down on herself. So he takes her out, and they walk around the city before stopping in front of this tiny, family-owned restaurant.

It's like an outdoor food market, but some Satomobiles speed around the corner of the building, park, and waiters come running out to take their orders. It isn't like any restaurant Bolin has ever been to, but it's new, entertaining, and spontaneous, and he enjoys that.

"Alllll right, Bo. What are you going to order?" Korra asks, and he looks over at her. She's got one hand on her hip (sassy as always, even when there's no need to be), and her finger on her lip, looking much too contemplative and decisive to _order food_.

A little worried that he'll have to attempt to read the sign, he scratches his neck.

"You pick for me! Surprise me with some delicious cuisine…sustenance… or something," he says, trying to impress her with complex – and ridiculous – synonyms for food.

Korra smiles at him. Bolin goes weak at the knees for just a moment.

"Naw, you pick. I don't wanna get something weird you wouldn't like."

_Damn._

Korra hands him the menu. He takes it gingerly, glaring down at the twisted symbols, blobs, and shapes worriedly. He can't read _any_ of this, other than the prices.

"Um, I'll…uh…have…the…" he lets a random name roll off his tongue, hoping that it's some fancy lunch dish, and he's not asking for boiled _turtleduck_. That would be plain sad.

Korra raises an eyebrow. Bolin shakes his head, grins at her, and looks back down at the menu quickly. _Well, no other choice now._

Bolin begins sounding out the names, carefully, picking apart the sllyables with an unfamiliar sound. His tongue makes him trip over the phrases, mess up the titles, and Korra notices right away.

"Are you okay, Bo?" she asks, a slight lilt in her voice like it's amusing. There's an undertone of worry, though, so he appreciates that.

"Yeah, I mean…"

"Are you…sounding out the words?"

_Oh no._

"Um, no. I mean, who doesn't know how to read? That's just ridiculous, er, I-"

Korra's hand is suddenly on his shoulder, pulling him away from the crowded line behind them, away towards the corner of the tall building. Her palm winds it way to the popped collar of his jacket, and she smoothes it before putting her hands on her hips again.

"Talk. What's going on?"

Bolin is suddenly very self-conscious. He's usually able to be himself around Korra, the other way around for her. They're a natural couple, and there are few insecurities between them, but this is something new. Korra is so smart and intelligent, strong and indepdendent…what if she thinks he's weak?

He admits his secret so quietly she leans forward, obviously perturbed by his strange, unfamiliar silence.

"What was that?" she asks, and he's so overwhelmed by the need to tell her the truth, _to tell her everything_ because he trusts her, he does.

"I can't read."

"What."

There's an awkward silence after that, after her sudden statement. She doesn't ask, it's not a question.

"Uh, yeah. I just…we spent a lot of years on the streets and it wasn't exactly a priority but don't get mad at Mako because it wasn't his vault I was pretty dense as a kid and wasn't focused on, y'know, getting smar-"

"Bolin, you're rambling," she says softly, and winds her fingers around his forearm. Her strong yet gentle touch is enough to calm him, and he takes a deep breath, straightening his posture carefully. He doesn't want her to think he's weak, spirits no.

Instead, Korra takes his palm in her own. He's still surprised, even after holding hands so often, how much smaller her fingers are than his. His entire hand encompasses the width of hers, maybe twice, even though it's just as strong as his.

Korra holds up the menu, and starts reading from it. Bolin's eyes open wide, and he realizes what she's doing. She's not sure how to handle the situation, so she dives right into finding the solution, determined and throwing any caution to the wind – as always. He grins and leans down, gives her a kiss to cut off her words.

The rest of dinner they spend reading pamphlets, maps, and the menus. He does a good job of focusing for the first few minutes, but the novelty of Korra teaching him is quickly lost.

Soon, she has to start slapping his hands away, because he gets distracted pretty quickly after they share a few kisses.


	12. Mistakes

"Seems like your game is a little _off_ today, Mako," Korra shouts above the roaring noise of the gym. She ducks and twists her body to the right just as Mako's stream of fire singes the air above her head, laughing cheekily and spinning out of the way as he sends another flare after her.

Bolin lets two discs loose, hurtling in her direction, and her smirk widens. She drops to the ground again, just for a split second, before flattening herself and keeping her palms pressed against the hard ground.

Bolin and Mako see their opportunity arise, and close in on her, throwing discs and licks of fire. Before the attacks can reach her, Korra launches herself into empty space with a surprisingly strong jet of water, hollering as she tries to stabilize herself mid-air.

As she's about to touch down, Korra raises her fists, pulling her supply of water downwards, creating a sizeable wave that knocks Bolin and Mako backwards. Bolin twists and catches himself, jumping to his feet with the help of a short pillar of earth, but Mako isn't as quick and lands against the training mats with a thump.

Korra drops to the ground as well, having misjudged the wave and been sent backwards as well. Bolin is laughing but breathing heavily, hands on his knees and bent over. Mako grumbles from the pile of mats, shakes his head, and lifts his helmet off.

"Korra, wow! If you bend like _that_ in the next match, the path to the championship is ours!" Bolin cheers, running up to his dark-haired friend and waving his arms around. Korra laughs, punches him on the shoulder fondly, and removes her helmet.

"Thanks, Bo. You've improved a ton as well with your bending. You wouldn't mind a pointer, right?"

Bolin shakes his head eagerly. "No _way_ would I mind!"

Korra laughs, and mimics the stance he threw himself into when bending the column of stone from the ground. "If you twist your foot just so when you kick off, you'll have enough momentum t-"

"Oh, are we giving out constructive criticism?" Mako calls, walking over and giving Korra a _look._ His eyebrows are scrunched in annoyance, and she feels her own temper flare. The firebender had been distressed and on edge ever since her confession, even after they had made up.

"Well, Korra, your form was decent _at best_ but you really need to work on that sloppy dodg-"

"Sloppy dodging? Maybe you need to control the intensity of your bending. We don't want to get disqualified for unnecessary viole-"

Bolin throws his thumb over his shoulder nonchalantly, eyeing his friend and brother with worried interest as he trots out of the gym. "Let's go get lunch later or something!" he says, a final attempt at a distraction, and then bolts out of the gym. He obviously has no intention of getting dragged in the middle of yet another fight.

Instead of giving up their fight, Mako and Korra both raise their hands in goodbyes, perfectly in sync, and then return to their loud arguing.

Each shout sends their faces closer; each gesture of their arms dissipates the proximity of their bodies. Electricity crackles between them, signaling a fight.

"Seriously, Mako, what the hell is your problem lately?"

"_My_ problem? _My problem?"_ he shouts, throwing up his hands in a sign of impatience. Korra looks up to watch angry flames shoot from his palms.

"Uh, Mako –"

"My problem is _you, _Avatar Korra," he snaps. "My problem is you during training, your attitude, your stupid bull-headed personality, _everything._"

Korra's face goes red in anger, and she crosses her arms stubbornly. "My problem with you is your dumb mood swings. What's going on?"

Her mouth drops open when Mako simply begins walking away from her. With a self-satisfied, childish stomp to the ground, he trips over the layers of rock that spring up against his toes, and yelps as he falls over. When he rights himself and glances up, Korra is standing over him with a triumphant smirk written across her features.

"Well, now that you won't run away…" she says, but trails off when he gets up in complete silence, and begins stalking towards her. "Er, uh, Mako, I'm sorry about that really, but can you not-"

"Korra, you are the most _frustratingly obnoxious_ girl I have _ever met,_" he hisses, accentuating each phrase with a step forward.

Suddenly the space between them is gone, just gone, and it's only his body pressed up against hers. Korra realizes she is blushing furiously, her cheeks are on fire, burning with color all the way to her ears. A strange, impatient and agitated growl startles her, and it takes her almost a full minute of glancing around nervously to realize it's come from _Mako._

"Uh, okay, so obviously this was a bad time to mess with you, but I'm sure we can just work something out_mpfh._"

Mako's lips are pressed against hers even while she finishes her sentence, and Korra's face remains blank and confused while he tries to force a reaction from her. He pulls away for breath but moves his hands up to her face, circling his long fingers against the sides of her neck and fitting his palms over her jaw bone, lifting her face up.

Korra can't believe he's actually taller than her. She frowns.

"This is the second time, Mako. Didn't we agree that the first was _not_ a good idea?" she whines, but is ignored. Instead, Mako responds by lowering his mouth over hers again, nipping at her lips and coaxing her lips open. She's still a little confused, but most of the uncomfortable regret ebbs away as soon as his hands drop to her waist, and clutch at her hips even through her protective training gear.

It's a long, satisfying moment before they break apart again, breathing equally agitated and hurried, chests rising with fluttering gasps. Korra has a feeling that this will be happening a lot more often, so she takes her time getting her pace down to normal. She traces the lines of Mako's face with her pupils; his lips, his eyes, the silly quirk at the tips of his eyebrows that she's considered shaving off when he slept…everything.

Mako starts to speak when Korra jumps him, strong arms wrapping around his neck, fingers twisting into his hair, and legs tangling with his as she forces him to stumble backwards towards the pile of mats he'd fallen into earlier. She's ferocious in her new endeavor, and he figures that any remorse for the situation is gone between the two of them, the way she's attacking his neck and jaw with her mouth. He's pretty sure where this is going, where this is going to end, and he doesn't care.

He probably should, but he doesn't.


	13. Tilt

Korra has never kissed anyone, up until this point. It seems like the right moment, despite everything _wrong_ that's going on around them. She doesn't have any dating experience, isn't really sure what to expect or how to react, so maybe that's a disadvantage. But it can't be that difficult.

In her mind's eye, she sees a kiss with Mako as a quick solution, not something that will add fuel to the fire of her already complicated life.

The Avatar isn't dumb. She knows that Bolin has feelings for her, but while she's unsure if she feels anything back. So, there's no use denying the obvious attraction she has for this handsome firebender, the one who can insult her and act coldly and _reject_ her again and again, and _still_ make her stomach do silly little flips at a mere glance.

Time slows down as she leans forward, her senses cajoling into one over sensitized _wave_ that encourages her forward, that seems to paint a big red target sign over Mako's face. She wants to kiss him. She doesn't know how, but then again, she doesn't know a lot of stuff – and her lack of information on some subjects has never stopped her before, so why should this?

_Because he has Asami. Because you'll complicate things. Because you'll hurt your friends if you go through with this._

Korra does her best to ignore the annoying voice in her head, the one that usually gives her good advice. She feels like, right now, her instinct is the best option to follow, and right now, her instinct is telling her to kiss Mako.

So she does.

She cuts him off in the middle of his sentence, muffling any other words of protest he has, trying to disperse his concerns as she presses her mouth against his. For a brief moment, in her frozen timeline of events, he is perfectly stiff. He doesn't move, doesn't respond, and doesn't reject her.

She thinks that this is a step in the right direction, so she grabs his hand in hers, squeezing slightly, trying to warm a reaction out of him.

And react he does.

Mako, she realizes hastily and with some nervous dancing in the pit of her stomach, is _much_ better at this kissing thing than she is. Korra feels a bit lightheaded when he suddenly responds to her invitation, responds to her kiss. She briefly wonders if an open mouth is acceptable for a first kiss, but her aimless thinking is quickly overtaken by the flurry of…something he's causing.

Mako's tongue, something she thinks would be _disgusting_ if put anywhere near her mouth, is now skirting the edge of her lips, pressing for entry. Korra makes a confused, questioning sound, but allows him entrance. Immediately Mako's palm does to the back of her head, tilting their bodies forward, tilting his head for better access.

She groans a little, because frankly this first kiss is going splendidly well, and she just can't figure out why they weren't doing this sooner because _all things holy thank you SPIRITS_ is Mako good at this.

Korra decides he kisses like a firebender, even if his usually indifferent, stoic personality would hint otherwise. He's relentless, sweeping his tongue over hers, drawing out shifty, sneaky noises from her that she didn't even think she was capable of making.

Yes, this kiss is good.

She's about to spring him, pull him to the ground and continue with _wherever_ this is going, when something tells her to break away. She does, wiping her mouth awkwardly because she has no idea what else to do. What do people _do_ after a kiss like…like that? She doesn't even know what people do after a normal kiss.

A bit panicked, Korra looks back up at her firebending crush for only a fraction of a second before something over his shoulder catches her eye. She quickly logs the memory of his face; that half-lidded gaze, the small quirk at the corner of his lips, the wet glisten to his li- _holy shit she used tongue too._ She hadn't even noticed. _Spirits. _The dark blush flushing her cheeks multiplies, fed by the feeling of Mako's dangerously clouded, intense orange irises on her, scanning her thoughtfully.

But she's not looking at him anymore.

She's looking at Bolin over, confused and upset, standing just ten feet away.

Korra wants to say something, to explain, but the blush is still on her cheeks, like a wound that won't heal and scars, forever staining once-perfect skin. It's evidence of her guilt, of _Mako's_ guilt.

She can't meet his sad gaze. She _can't_.

Korra, still breathless and excited from her first kiss, turns her blue eyes to her feet, ashamed. Petals from his bouquet land at her feet. She shakes them off hesitantly while Mako steps forward.

_Ashamed._


End file.
